Thursday, May 21, 2009

A soap opera. Kidnappings, bribery, police corruption, both hinted and actual. False statements. False witnesses. Rapidly changing statements, seems the truth is well oiled by who gives the money...! Men of God who are no more than pharisees, playing out their ‘political’ games of the church in public. Wow! It is amazing, the way things are playing out. What is the truth? Ha ha ha!

I bet the police are very confused by everything.

Who dares speak the truth in Uganda? Not even the so called ‘believers’ seem to have an inkling of what truth is!

Ok, the hyenas have turned on each other. It is bloody, it is cruel, it is ugly.

On one hand I am crowing. I want to go out there and say ‘I told you so’. The fact that the hyenas, which looked so holy in sheep’s clothing are showing their true colours. Oh, it is fantastic, from my point of view. Let them show us what they are. They will turn on us, maybe tomorrow. But, may they tarnish and soil their nice whites with some real sticking mud. And, by god, they are!

It works for me...! And on the other hand, we have been asking ourselves why they have always found this need to focus on my sexuality. Believe me or not, in Uganda, my sexuality has not been a very big issue. Ssempa and co, following their anti-gay agenda have made it an issue. Just look at other African countries. Our Kenyan neighbours. Or Tanzania, or Rwanda. Once in a while, something happens, news is made, and it blows down. In Uganda, it certainly is not us, gay Ugandans who want to be kept constantly in the news. So, why do the flames of the anti-gay agenda burn so brightly in Uganda.

The answer, simply politics. And money in the mix of course. Power in the Church.

I salute you, dear Ssempa, and co!

Here is the latest update. From the Monitor newspaper. The slightly different update from the Vision is below.

The sodomy allegations against Pastor Kayanja took a new twist on Wednesday after some of the alleged victims retracted their statements.

Drama ensued at the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters in Kibuli at about 4.30pm yesterday after the detectives drove away Mr Samson Mukisa, one of the seven alleged victims, to Buganda Road Court where he allegedly retracted his statements in a closed session before magistrate Dorothy Lwanga.

Mr Mukisa, who is said to have made an “extra-judicial statement”, was whisked away in a saloon car late last evening to an unknown destination. He was by last night said to still be in police custody.

The dramatic turn of events, with Mr Mukisa’s dramatic withdrawal of a statement in which he claims Pastor Kayanja sodomised him, was preceded by another dramatic withdrawal of an earlier statement by another alleged victim Robinson Matovu.

The five pastors, who have been interrogated by the CID following allegations against Pastor Kayanja, could be left holding the can after some of the alleged victims retracted their statements yesterday.

Pastors Solomon Male, Martin Ssempa, Micheal Kyazze, Bob Kayiira and Annet Kyomuhendoare accused by the CID of setting up Pastor Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Centre in the sodomy allegations – a fall -out that threatens to tear apart the born again churches.

Pastors Male, Ssempa and Kayiira have since Monday been regular visitors to the CID main interrogation centre.

Mr Matovu at a press conference at CID attended by both Pastors Male and Ssempa stunned the two by saying Pastor Kayanja has never sodomised him.

“In fact, it is you people who promised me Shs50 million if I pinned Pastor Kayanja that he sodomised me,” said Mr Matovu, stunning Pastors Male and Ssempa.

He was later whisked away by detectives to formally retract earlier statements made against Kayanja.

Yesterday’s turn of events place a major dent in the five pastors defence after the Police claimed the other five victims James Ntwatwa, Ronny Mutebi, David Mukalazi and Akansiime had also withdrawn their statements against Pastor Kayanja.

But Mr Mukalazi said on Wednesday he had not withdrawn his statements.

CID director Edward Ochom on Sunday summoned the five pastors for interrogation.

The pastors have been critical of the police conduct in the investigation – pointing out possibilities of compromise considering that Pastor Kayanja recently renovated Old Kampala Police Station.

The same complaint was echoed by the pastors’ lawyer, Mr Andrew Kasirye, who held a press conference yesterday morning and threatened to petition Parliament and Human Rights Commission over the conduct of police.

Mr Kasirye had earlier written to Internal Affairs Minister Kirunda Kivejinja accusing the Police of taking sides and according “Pastor Robert Kayanja the benefit of doubt, without an exhaustive inquiry into the matter”.

The lawyer said the victims had earlier complained of harassment by police.

“The allegations made by Mukisa of police brutality and compulsion to sign a retraction under gun point are serious and require your attention,” he wrote.

“We respectfully implore you to look into the matter and accord it urgency.”

And from the New Vision. Do you in truth understand what the Vision reporters say? Or am I the one with a lack of understanding?

A TEENAGER who has accused Pastor Robert Kayanja of sodomy was on Tuesday night arrested amid protests by his lawyer. In a series of dramatic events yesterday, the Police also made the boy, Samsom Mukisa, to write a confidential statement before a magistrate.

They also dressed him up in different ways in an apparent attempt to confuse journalists.

As investigations continued yesterday, Mukisa was subjected to further interrogation. By press time he was still in Police custody.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Police took him to a Buganda Road Court Magistrate to make an extra-judicial, or confidential, statement. Such a statement can be used as evidence against him in court of law.

The process lasted about three hours, after which Mukisa was whisked away to an undisclosed location by a security operative, Maj. Michael Ssali Ssalambwa. Sources, however, said he was detained at Jinja Road Police Station.

Mukisa was arrested at about 11:00am on Tuesday when he reported with his lawyer, Andrew Kasirye, to the CID in Kibuli, a Kampala suburb. The Police interrogated him for at least seven hours until about 9:00pm before detaining him.

Kasirye and colleague, Paul Rutisya, reacted angrily but their pleas were ignored as Mukisa was driven away in a silver Police pick-up truck to an unknown location.

Yesterday morning, the youngster, dressed in a stripped T-shirt, was driven to Kibuli where he recorded a statement that was also captured on video.

At 4:00pm, Mukisa, disguised with a cap, a white cardigan and a hood, was led into Ssalambwa’s vehicle, which sped off to the court. But the journalists recognised him despite the camourflouge and gave chase.

When they reached the court, Mukisa was Sandwiched between Ssalambwa and other detectives. When he emerged from the car, he had changed clothes again and was wearing sunglasses, an orange apron while clutching newspapers. He was then led to magistrate Dorothy Lwanga.

Maj. Ssalambwa’s involvement in the case was not clear. In 2001, he was the aide-de-camp of Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, the leader of the Forum for Democratic Change party. After the 2001 presidential elections, which Besigye lost, he fled to Rwanda, but was deported and charged with treason but got amnesty in 2003. Lately, he has been common at the CID headquarters.

Earlier in the day, Kasirye addressed journalists about Mukisa’s arrest. “They are using all avenues to jeopardise the investigations, including intimidating complainants,” he told a press conference at their offices on Clement Hill Road.

“It is illegal to arrest anyone without charges being preferred,” he said. He explained that the Police should have stated Mukisa’s charges and revealed where he was detained.

In a twist of events, Robson Matovu who on Tuesday said he had also been molested by Kayanja, again turned up yesterday but instead said Sempa and Male had bribed him with sh50m to tarnish the name of “Mzee Kayanja”.

As he spoke, Male and Sempa confronted him to substantiate his bribery allegations.

In a panic, Matovu attempted to run away but the pastors closed in on him. A Police officer took him to another building. His fate was unclear by press time.

Mukisa, in an affidavit, accuses Kayanja, the pastor of Miracle Centre, Rubaga, of sodomising him.

Kayanja has denied the allegations, saying they are meant to tarnish his name.

However, the pastors say Mukisa simply reported the matter to them and they advised him to report to the Police.

The Police have been investigating the matter and last weekend cleared Kayanja of any wrong-doing. They said the complainants had retracted their accusations. However, Mukisa, Sempa and Male said this was not true.

Male and Sempa were interrogated by the Police on Monday and ordered along with another Pastor, Bob Kayiira, to report to Kibuli again today at 10:00am. They spent the entire day at the CID yesterday.

15 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Fisrt of all, I want to say thank you to Gayuganda for keeping abreast with the developments, as well as providing us with an analysis that most of us are to scattere, or scared to make. I had a conversation with a friend and it can be condensed as this.

The crusade waged against the gay community was built on the shakiest foundations possible: A bunch of lies, the exploitation of fear and the impunity/ trust that christianity often grants those who are expected to carry the Faith standard.What have we got now; allegations about money being used to destroy FELLOW pastors....Shock, Horror and Dismay, Us the fags, homos, sodomites and bum-shafters are a mere means to an end, and the end is POWER and Clout and a greater congregation at the private litle businesses that these churches are...I am a christian, I also hapen to be gay. The campaign I saw unfold had nothing christia about it. It had, still has the same ring as the racist slogans that the deep American south sang when lynching "niggers", yes I said the word, because that is what black people were before someone(black and white together) stood up in the way of a christian establishment that condonned discrimination, a government that exploited race and a majority of the society that had no real interest in the liberation of those people who were so different anyway.My point here is that, replacing Nigger, the word and the condition, by Homo/BumShafter/Sodomite is the exact same thing that happened in here. The christians are foaming at the mouth when you mention gay rights, the government is embarrassed at best and society at large is misinformed.Is it going to take a crime so heinous, so horrible for society to identify with the plight of the gay community, with us as humans. What Ssempa and Co. have done today has shown how self- serving this campaign is to them, I hope Uganda has the balls and honesty to do away with hypocrisy and see the truth for what it is. We remain, your brothers, sisters, Fathers and Mothers, Sons and Daughters...Don't forget us..Love. Always.XXXX

I wonder if this Andrew Kasirye, lawyer, is realated to Erick Kasirye, who works as a priest for Orombi (and also exploited/liquidated the Integrity Uganda LGBT Community Center and solicited money from LGBT Anglicans online, lieing and saying he was in jail after trying to save Gay Anglicans)? Fr. Erich then moved up to bigger andbetter ministry "opportunities" and was *offering*"ecclesiastical protection" to U.S. Parishes from theDiocese of Namirembe and Bishop SamuelSsekkadde...meanwhile, the ever-pious/sometimes-present and always unpleasant ArchbishopOrombi sturred up some potential American "business" byreminding us in the ECUSA (The Episcopal Church) about the "poisonous effortsof the revisionist forces!" (that would be LGBT Christians, our families, our friends)...Orombi needs to stay at home in Uganda and try and address the mess he has made carrying his anti-lgbt hate/exclusion message to the U.S...why isn´t Orombi in Kampala helping sort out the lies that are driving the aftermath of the ¨witch hunt¨ that he HELPED initiate?

You should sue the school you went to. Either you paid very little or you were conned out of your money. Since common sense can't be bought you are half excused. Your english is like my japanese. Horrid.xxxx. My alias 4xs.

Oromobi is one of 'great pretenders' to this particular throne, having manouevred himself into a top-dog position in the "Global South"/GAFCON effort to undermine/break away from the CoE.

He is quite open about the financial support that many of the Southern US state churches (who, in supreme irony, once supported the worst of the southern state racism of last century) now provide his band of dissenters:

"... they support us, they give us money. Oh they give us money. Since we began to relate with our orthodox brethren they have given us much more money, much more money, oh yeah, much more money. They have given us more money."

Henry Orombi on his relationship with his "reasserter" brethren. Unedited transcript from an interview for Anglican TV. September, 2007.

hello to gay uganda you people you are doing a good workpf letingusknow what is happening in our gay community, yes they will continue to talk about other butwe gay we shall not be offended with their words , weshall be and we are going on.

just only words will not change our sexuality,we shall and am one so orombi with his co should look forward to devolpmentnot discrimination ,

Further point of information. Parts of the Anglican Church do address its priests (yes they are often called that) as "Father", but the Anglican Church of Uganda is not one of those parts.

One of the Anonymouses (Anonymice?) seems to think that we want to "get" him! There it is again, this idea that we are on a crusade to convert innocent heteros into homos. Is he perhaps inviting us to try?

Hi! I call myself Haute Haiku I write the Single Gay life in Kenya blog, on gaylifekenya.blogspot.com, I might be writing articles and conducting interviews on global voices online concerning LGBTQ issues, your name popped up a lot in the discussion about your works, I was wondering if it would be okay with you if I made references from your blog sometime.

I say that anything should be used if in the end the church (what ever church)is destroyed. If the pastor committed sodomy,SO WHAT. More power to hime for feeding the weak to his dick. The only true GOD is the dick between the legs of men. Bow Down and worship it.